Smitty
MAR/APR
2002
Volume 45/Issue 2
IN
THIS ISSUE
Contest
Winners
•
First, Second and Third Place Winning Projects
Project
Articles
•
The Garden Bench
• Wren and Blue Jay Bird Houses
• Tapered Planter Box
DEPARTMENTS
•
Ask Smitty
• Owner’s Gallery
• Letters from Owners
Academy Notes
Finishing
Touches - Pt.4 Applying a Synthetic Finish
Service Pointers
Disc
Sander
Safety Tips
Ladder
Safety
What's
New
Hands-On
Timeless Classics Now Available on CD ROM
EDUCATION
• Find
A Shopsmith Woodworking Academy Near You
• National
Woodworking Academy in Dayton, OH
ONLINE
CATALOGS
• Online Accessory Catalog
• Request
Printed Accessory Catalog
• Online
Replacement Parts Catalog
MARK
V INFORMATION
• Find
A Shopsmith
MARK V Demo Near You
• Request
MARK V Information Package
LINKS
•
Links Worth Visiting
•
Free Woodworking
Tips
FEEDBACK
Contacting
Shopsmith
Copyright
2002.
Shopsmith, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
ASK
SMITTY!
Here
are the questions . . .
and SMITTY’S answers for this issue!
Repairing
Sanding Belts
From Herb Foster via e-mail:
I have several sanding 6" wide Shopsmith belts that I've had for
several months due to overbuying. The seams have come apart due to moisture,
which had rendered them useless. How can I glue these back together so
they can be used?
For safety reasons, I cannot recommend that you attempt to glue these belts back together. The seams on Shopsmith Belts have been "taped" seams for many years...fused together under a special process (that you will be unable to duplicate) at the abrasive manufacturer.
As you probably realize, it is imperative that these seams remain flexible while being EXTREMELY strong. If you tried to use epoxy glue for its strength, it would not be sufficiently flexible. If you tried to use rubber cement for its flexibility, it would not be sufficiently strong.
Since your safety should be far more important to you than saving money, our best recommendation is that you tear (or cut) your damaged belts into strips or pads and use them for sanding lathe turnings...or with your orbital or pad sander.
Any new replacement belts you may purchase should be hung vertically on your shop wall, over a protruding dowel and away from any moisture. Don't lay them flat, as they could crease.
Birdhouse
entrance sizes
From Gary via e-mail:
Can you provide me with a listing of what size entrance hole is
recommended on bird houses for the different groupings of birds?
Yep. Here are the sizes for the most common birds:
Bluebirds:
1-1/2"
Chickadees: 1-1/8"
Doves: Leave one or more sides open
Finches: 2"
Martins: 2-2/2"
Robins: 2-1/2"
Sparrows: Leave all sides open
Starlings: 2" (I can't imagine inviting starlings to the yard!)
Swallows: 1-1/2" to 2-1/2"
Woodpeckers: 1-1/4" to 4" (depending on how hungry they are, I assume)
Wrens: 1"
